The Eau Claire river at the beginning of this paddle and be a little challenging especially for canoes. There are several areas where rocks create some rapids and create hazards. After getting to the Chippewa it is fairly smooth sailing. The approximately 8 mile trip took us about 3 hours on the river. We stopped at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa for a sandwich and stopped to check out one of the many islands in the Chippewa which added an additional hour.